Non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT, is the energy you use for your everyday activities (other than sleeping, eating, or sports-like exercise).[1] Factors that influence your NEAT include things such as walking to work, typing, or fidgeting. These types of non-exercise physical activities can increase your metabolism significantly.[2] Although sitting won’t increase your NEAT, doing activities while you sit can.[3] Increasing your NEAT may help you maintain or lose weight.[4] It may also minimize your risk for developing diabetes and circulatory diseases.[5] You can increase your NEAT by doing different types of activities while standing or using the time you’re seated to get in some type of movement.

Steps

Method1

Moving Around When Standing

1

Walk while you talk. Many people have meetings or take phone calls during a work or school day. Take these opportunities to get in a little movement.[6] Not only can this increase your NEAT, but it can help relax you and stimulate your brain.[7]

Walk or pace around whenever you talk to someone on the phone. Also consider doing some squats or moving from one leg to the other while you talk.[8]

Ask a colleague, teacher, or professor to go for a walk while you have a scheduled or even unscheduled meeting. This can help relax what might be a tense situation or help you think more clearly.[9]

2

Schedule moving breaks. People who sit for too long without movement may open themselves up to a host of illnesses including obesity and heart disease. Even those who sit all day and go directly to the gym are at risk.[10] Schedule regular breaks during the day to go for a walk, do some light stretching, or even going to the restroom to increase your NEAT.[11]

Schedule time every 30 – 60 minutes to get up and get a glass of water, stretch, or go for a walk around your yard, office, or campus.

Ask a friend or colleague to join you on your scheduled break. This can help you stick to your schedule and increase your NEAT.

Some activity trackers will beep or notify users that they have been sedentary for too long.

3

Take the stairs. Stepping up or down has a multitude of benefits including protecting against heart disease and obesity as well as improving muscle tone.[12] It also can increase your NEAT. Make a point of avoiding elevators and escalators whenever possible to take the stairs.[13]

Taking the stairs burns 50 – 100 extra calories on average while increasing your NEAT. It also releases endorphins, or feel-good hormones.[14]

4

Add steps where you can. In addition to taking the stairs, you can add walking steps throughout your day. Even something as simple as parking at the far end of a parking lot can increase your NEAT, especially if you make it a regular habit. Some other ways to add steps to your day include:[15]

Recording study or work materials on your smartphone and going for a walk while you listen to it

Doing a couple laps of a mall or store before beginning your shopping[17]

5

Carry your groceries. If you are able, walk to your local grocery store and carry home your bags of groceries. Making several small trips each week can increase your NEAT and build muscle tone. It may also keep you from wasting food that goes bad before you can use it.[18]

Turn unloading groceries from your car into a NEAT-increasing activity. Each time you pick up a bag, do a few bicep curls with it while you walk to the house. Putting one bag in each hand may take a bit longer to unload, but you can really boost your NEAT with each walk to and from your car, especially if you add a few bicep curls.

6

Do the dance and clean. Cleaning is one of the necessities in life. But it’s also one of the easiest ways to boost your NEAT. Turn up the music to pep your step the next time you clean. You may find yourself twirling about with your vacuum cleaner or broom. This increases your NEAT and release feel-good serotonin.[19]

Listen to music and dance around while washing dishes by hand. This also boost NEAT and decreases your carbon footprint (by avoiding the use of a dishwasher).[20]

7

Love your laundering. Like cleaning, laundry is another necessity of life, and provides another opportunity to increase your NEAT. Even the most simple part of doing laundry — putting away clothing — aids this. Turn doing laundry into a NEAT-increasing process by:[21]

Stepping from side to side as you load the washer and dryer

Folding clothing as soon as it comes out of the dryer

Ironing your clothing

Putting your clothing away as soon as it’s folded and/or ironed

8

Care for your plants. Taking care of your indoor plants or yard and garden is a must to keep them healthy. This can also be an especially enjoyable way to boost NEAT and gain muscle if you are unable to walk. Try the following to care for plants and a yard while increasing your NEAT:[22]

Watering with a hose or watering can

Pruning with gardening shears

Creating flower beds or garden features such as rock displays

Raking leaves

Shoveling snow from delicate plants

Method2

Getting Moving While Seated

1

Turn up your fidget factor. Many people fidget while they’re sitting. Doodling on a piece of paper to moving your legs back and forth under a table or desk are two common types of fidgeting that can also increase your NEAT. Make sure your fidgeting is appropriate for the situation and doesn’t distract you or other people. Some other ways to increase your NEAT while fidgeting include:[23]

Raise your heels. You can also use sitting times as a way to build your leg muscles. Raising your heels — and even toes — off the ground while you sit can give you gorgeous calves and increase your NEAT.[25]

Place a large book on your knees while raising your heels or toes for added resistance. This can not only build muscle, but also increase your NEAT even more.

3

Tap your toes. Consistently moving your toes as you sit can increase your NEAT. Remember that small movements such as tapping your toes or wiggling your feet adds up over time, helping to boost your NEAT along the way.[26]

4

Lift your arms. Just as you can do leg work to increase your NEAT while sitting, you can also use your arms. Simple movements such as raising your hands above your head can build muscle and boost your NEAT. Some other arm movements you may want to try while sitting include:[27]

Stretching out your arms

Knitting

Playing a musical instrument

Stroking or playing fetch with a pet

Bouncing a child on your lap

5

Sit on a stability ball. If you find yourself sitting at a desk much of the day, consider shaking up your seating arrangement. Replacing your chair with a stability ball forces your body to balance, which builds core strength. It also gives you a chance to gently bounce and move throughout the day. Both of these activities can boost your NEAT and torch calories.[28]

Use a stability ball at home if you like. Sitting on the ball while you’re watching TV, eating, playing video games, doing laundry, or reading has the same NEAT-increasing benefits.

Method3

Tracking Your NEAT

1

Determine your NEAT. Increasing your NEAT can burn on average an extra 330 calories per day. One factor that can differ between an overweight or obese individual and someone within a healthy weight range is their NEAT. An overweight or obese person generally performs considerably less NEAT activities.[29] Figuring out what activities you do throughout the day can help you do more to increase your NEAT.

Think about a typical day for yourself. Start with the morning and progress through the day. Ask yourself questions such as, “Do I get takeout for dinner? Do I walk or drive to pick it up? Does someone deliver it?” or, “Do I combine tasks to avoid taking the stairs?” You could also ask yourself how long you sit at your desk every day or even keep notes each time you get up.

Estimate your NEAT by multiplying your basal metabolic rate (BMR) with your activity level. The easiest way to calculate your BMR at home is using an online calculator, which takes away the headache of doing complicated math. Try this one: http://www.bmrcalculator.org/

Multiply your BMR results by the following numbers, which can give you an idea of your current NEAT (though being moderately to extremely active means you are likely also getting some traditional exercise): 1.1 if you are sedentary, 1.15 if you are lightly active, 1.2 if you are moderately active, 1.25 if you are very active, 1.3 if you are extremely active.[30]

2

Write activities in a notebook. Once you have your NEAT estimates, you can start to make changes that will increase them. Keep notes on your current NEAT and reassess it every month or so. Write a daily log of the activities you did to gain an overall picture of how you’re increasing your NEAT and what effects it has. Remember that even writing the notes by hand can increase your NEAT.[31]

3

Use a pedometer to track your activity. Pedometers are small devices you can clip on to shoes or wear on your wrist. They track how many steps you take every day. Getting yourself a pedometer — simple or jazzy — can ensure that you’re increasing your NEAT over the course of the day.[32]

Buy a pedometer that best suits your needs. Even a cheap model that clips onto your shoe can help you assess your NEAT. Consider a jazzier version, such as a Fitbit or Striiv Fusion, that you wear around your wrist. These devices often track your steps, but may also remind you to get up and moving if you’re low on movement.[33]

Try and increase the number of steps you take every day by 1,000. Set yourself a reasonable goal, working up to at least 10,000 steps per day.[34]